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Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the author of “The Black Swan” and “Antifragile,” has advice for navigating this period of economic instability, geopolitical upset, and technological upheaval: Stick to what you believe in, future-proof yourself against AI, exercise your mind and body, and have a holistic view of success.
The scholar, statistician, and former hedge fund manager also shared what keeps him up at night.
Here are four life lessons he shared during a wide-ranging interview with Business Insider.
1. Have the discipline to stick to what you said you’d do
A cornerstone of success is having the “discipline to stick to what you promise you’re going to do, and do it in the best possible way,” Taleb said.
Universa Investments, a “Black Swan” fund where he serves as a distinguished scientific advisor, specializes in protecting client portfolios against rare and extreme market events. It now has more than $20 billion in assets under management.
The fund has spent “two decades doing the same trades, and we haven’t drifted,” Taleb said. “If you stick to something that you really believe in, you should never stray,” he continued.
2. Future-proof yourself against AI
Taleb championed the “Lindy Effect,” the theory that the longer an idea, technology, or cultural practice has survived, the longer it is likely to continue to survive.
“AI is not denting Lindy skills,” he said, advising people to work in “robust” professions less likely to be displaced by AI.
He pointed to gardening, nursing, cooking, plumbing, and masonry as “essential” skills that AI can’t replace for now. The AI revolution marks the “first time in history” that white-collar knowledge professions are “in danger” relative to manual trades, he said.
3. Exercise your mind and body
Taleb told BI that he does 10 to 15 hours of exercise a week, and emphasized that working both the mind and body is essential to living a good, long life.
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“We all underestimate how much exercise we need,” Taleb said. “Being sedentary requires a lot more exercise than we think.”
He praised Wall Street legend Ed Thorp, 92, for remaining “athletic, in shape, mentally sharp.”
Now that Taleb is no longer running a hedge fund, he relishes having more free time to read widely and dig into anything that intrigues him, he said.
4. Redefine success as more than getting rich
“What I consider success is looking at yourself in the mirror and not being ashamed,” Taleb told BI.
Taleb, who was born in Lebanon, said his concept of success extends beyond having a great career and making money. It also involves behaving ethically, being useful to others, surrounding yourself with grandchildren and other family members, and being loved by your community.
What keeps him awake at night
When asked what keeps him awake at night, Taleb said he fretted over the “physical and financial health” of friends and family.
Taleb said it’s troubling when he sees older people “realize they don’t have enough for retirement.” A key underlying issue is that advanced economies “struggle to keep the momentum going” as they mature, leading to slower growth and “less of a good future” for their citizens.
“They don’t realize the dangers,” Taleb said. “That worries me.”
The system “worked for a few generations because people were always doing better than their parents,” but that’s no longer true for many, he said.
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